Gold is now broody too

I thought we were back to three girls laying with Cloud having laid her first egg but the next day Gold went broody so we are back to two girls laying. Just Dot and Cloud for now although Mango drops into a squat when I lift her from the inner gate so I am sure she won’t be long starting to lay.

Gold spent all day in the nest box except for when I lifted her and Storm out which I did every time I went in to the run. There was no final egg from Gold either.

What I am also doing is closing all the nest boxes at the end of the day. This means that both Storm and Gold then go and perch in the chicken shed. I think the fact that are willing to go and perch overnight really helps them to come out of it quite quickly.

Gold is broody
And just sits when she is lifted out of the nest box

Meanwhile Sugar looks like she may have an egg on the way. She spent the afternoon sitting on top of the shelter. She looked miserable and had the humped back shape that she gets when struggling to lay. Her tail was also bobbing up and down. We have been dreading her coming back in to lay. She did come for the bedtime sunflower hearts though and also perched in the chicken shed at bedtime.

Sugar looks as if she may have an egg on the way

Only time will tell how Sugar goes on. We have been prepared for her to have problems when coming back in to lay. I feel so sorry for her. This may well be her last year unless she can bounce back. I won’t let her suffer but am still hanging on to a little bit of hope for her.

In other news Cloud has now laid her second egg, two days after her first. This one is the same size as her first egg but no blood streak on it.

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Cloud lays her first egg of the year

I had been thinking that both Cloud and Mango were getting near to starting to lay. They have both looked in the nest boxes a few times and both have very red combs and faces.

Yesterday Cloud went in a nest box and scratched around a few times. I felt sure she was getting ready to lay. The next time I checked she was settled in the nest box and when I checked again she was out and her first egg of the year was in the nest box. It had a streak of blood on it as first eggs often do.

I had already put out my blog post about Storm going broody so decided to leave this one until today. It was our first, four egg day, of the year as Storm got her last egg laid before decided to sit in the nest box for the rest of the day.

Cloud scratching in the nest box
Cloud sitting in the nest box

Mango has a habit of jumping up to the inner gate whenever I Leave it open. I always lift her down but she does this every time so she obviously doesn’t mind me lifting her down. It is one of her funny little habits.

Mango on the inner gate
Cloud’s first egg of the year
Cloud’s egg on the left and Storm’s egg on the right

I thought I would show Storm’s egg for comparison. These girls are the same size and yet their eggs are quite different. Cloud’s is longer. It has a blood streak on it but so far there has only ever been blood on the first eggs so it’s nothing to worry about.

So one girl stops laying and another girl starts taking us back to three again. Last year Mango started laying the day after Cloud so I am expecting her to start soon as well.

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Storm is our first broody girl of the year

Storm has laid fourteen eggs in twenty six days and has now gone broody. Storm has started laying and gone broody before Mango and Cloud have even started laying. We are now back to two girls laying, Dot and Gold.

Storm is broody
Storm when I lift her from the nest box
And here she is back in the nest box again

I will just keep lifting Storm from the nest box each time I go in. I did this last year and she soon came out of it so I hope this works again this year.

We seem a bit doomed with eggs this year compared to previous years. Oh well, I suppose the other girls will start laying eventually.

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Fish for the girls

I thought that a fish treat for the girls would give a protein boost as we now have three girls laying eggs.

The girls have a fish treat
They make short work of the fish

Sugar spends a lot of her time perched. If she isn’t on the perch above the ladder or in the shelter she is in her new favourite spot on the log by the patio area.

Another of Sugar’s favourite spots

In between times Sugar comes to the treats and takes dust baths and does all the normal chicken things but she spends much more time sitting than any of the other girls.

Sugar reminds me of Star when she was sitting a lot and I can’t help thinking that it’s not a good sign. The difference is that Sugar has been like this for a lot longer.

Sugar spent a lot of time sitting in the run last summer. I am happier to see her sitting off the ground all winter but that may be because it’s been very wet. Sugar started laying at the end of March last year so it will be a case of wait and see what happens when, or if, she starts to lay this year.

Mango and Cloud keep Sugar company

These two girls often keep Sugar company but even so they always stand while Sugar always sits.

We can only hope for the best but realistically be prepared for the worst. Best case sinario for me would be if she didn’t lay but like Salmon even that doesn’t mean never laying again. We will just make the most of having her for as long as possible.

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Another girl has started laying

This morning Dot was in the nest box by the gate.

Dot in the nest box

Dot now has a lovely red comb. I had felt for the last few days that she was getting ready to lay again. It wasn’t long before I heard the egg shout and when I checked Dot had laid. Her egg has her signature little calcium bubbles on it and a faint blood streak as first eggs of the season often have.

Not long after Gold laid her egg in the same nest box and then Storm laid in her usual nest box next to the chicken shed. We now have our first, three egg, day of the year.

Storm’s egg on the left, Gold’s egg in the middle and Dot’s egg on the right
A medium shop bought egg on the right for size comparison

I had just bought some eggs but hopefully they will be the last that I will need to buy for a while. Three egg laying girls should give us enough eggs. Well done Dot!

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Eggs

Storm is our only egg laying girl at the moment. She lays every other day.

Storm is about to lay her egg

Since we lost Salmon, Sugar has spent a lot of time on her own. I wonder if she misses Salmon. Her favourite spots are on the branch perch at the top of the ladder if there is a patch of sun and on the shelf inside the shelter if there isn’t any sun. Sugar can often be found here.

Sugar in one of her favourite spots looking a bit sad
Sugar is a round ball

Sugar has a red comb and face. In fact all the girls have red combs and faces at the moment so I am sure there will be more egg laying starting soon. I am sure that like me the girls will be glad when better weather arrives.

I wrote this part of the post yesterday but held off putting it out. I wanted to leave my tribute to Salmon as my last post for a bit longer to do justice to our lovely girl.

Then today there was more nest box action so I had to add to this post. Gold has been squatting and has been really vocal recently and we have been sure she was about to start laying. Today she was vocalising more than we have ever heard her before.

Gold being very vocal
Gold being the loudest that I have ever heard her
And finally Gold has settled in the nest box

The next time I checked Gold had laid her first egg of the year. Storm laid soon after her giving us our first, two egg day, of the year.

Gold’s egg on the left and Storm’s egg on the right
Left is a shop bought egg for size comparison with Gold’s egg in the middle and Storm’s egg on the right

How lovely to have another girl laying. Well done Gold.

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Salmon

We had our lovely Salmon for nearly six years. She was a very pretty girl with a huge character. She soon worked her way up to being top girl even though she was the smallest girl. She had a lovely nature and was feisty but never aggressive.

Salmon had nine lives of the chicken world. She came through mico and every Autumn when she moulted she would be wheezy but tylan always got her over it. She laid soft shelled eggs from time to time and looked as if she wouldn’t make it but once she got them laid she bounced back. Her last soft shelled egg I managed to pull from her and she didn’t lay for the next two summers which gave her a longer life without the discomfort of egg laying.

Unfortunately Salmon produced one more egg this week and this time didn’t manage to pass it. She went downhill rapidly and the only kind thing for her was to have her put to sleep. She will be greatly missed in the chicken run.

I have spent time going through my photos and Salmon has seen many girls come and go during her time with us.

2018 August -The five amigos when they first came to us

From left to right is Marmite then Salmon then Smoke then Spangle with Vanilla at the back. Salmon has outlasted all these girls.

2018 August – The five amigos perching together
December 2018 – Salmon in the middle of our then flock of eleven

Salmon has outlasted all those girls in this photo which is pretty amazing. Some of them came before her though. Speckles at the back was eight and Flame at the front was seven when we lost them.

2019 November – Salmon is all grown up
2019 November – Salmon and Speckles do the telepathic beak to beak thing
2020 May – Salmon is broody for the first time
2020 June – Salmon and Flame share a nest box
2020 August – Salmon checks on Flame and Ebony in the chicken shed
2021 May – Salmon dust bathing with some of her flock mates
2021 May – Salmon in the nest box
2021 June – Salmon is broody again
2021 June – Salmon having some mash
2022 July – Salmon as part of our then flock of eight
2023 July – Salmon as part of our most recent flock of eight
2023 August – Storm and Salmon together
2023 August – Autumn and Salmon together
2024 February – Salmon last week

She was such a lovely girl and will be much missed.

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Salmon’s gone

It was on Monday, three days ago, that there was a lot of blood on Salmon’s perch and the shavings below. Apart from a mucky bottom which I cleaned for her she seemed the same as normal. She was still running to the treats and active.

Today Salmon went down hill very fast. In fact I had just replied to a blog comment saying she seemed fine when I had to add that the next time I checked on her she looked miserable. She no longer came to the treats and I wasn’t sure if she was eating at all. I made dishes of mash and she drank a bit of water off the top. She did the thing chickens do when not well and pecked at the mash without actually eating it.

The next time I checked on her Salmon had her head under her wing. I have never seen her do that before and I knew at this point that something was very wrong.

Salmon with her head under her wing

I took Salmon some chopped tomato which is her favourite thing and she refused to have any. I realised that the blood was probably from trying to push out a soft shelled egg and that although she seemed fine at the time three days later it would have started to poison her. Her comb had gone from pink to very pale, almost yellow.

After two years of not laying it was such a shame she had produced another egg. I knew that there was no way back from this and I couldn’t let her suffer. I rang the vet and got an appointment for three o’clock.

The paper in the cat box had a few spots of blood coming through her vent. The vet agreed with me that she must have a broken egg inside her. She said it was the kindest thing to have her put to sleep. The vets now give a bit of gas to gently send them to sleep before giving the injection as it’s less stressful. I wanted to stay and see her when she had gone. The vet said it was very gentle and peaceful.

Salmon would have been six years old this summer which is the oldest serama we have ever had. By successfully pulling her last, soft shelled egg, from her I had given her two more years. She has had a good life. I am still so sad to see her go and have shed a few tears for her.

I will do a tribute for her over the next few days. I knew Salmon was on borrowed time and that if she produced another egg it would be her down fall but it still doesn’t make it any easier losing her.

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Up dates on the girls

I think some of the girls are getting ready to start laying. Oddly Autumn has stopped laying. She laid her last egg on the first of February and hasn’t laid since. She goes in the chicken shed and sits as if she thinks she should still be laying but comes out later with no egg.

Both Storm and Gold have been very vocal recently. Gold also squats when I come up behind her. They have both been investigating the nest boxes. It’s going to be a race to see which one of them lays first.

Storm going in the nest box
Storm in the nest box
Gold going in the nest box
Gold in the nest box
Gold checking on Storm in the nest box

I think these two girls will start laying soon. They are later this year than last year but I think it’s probably because this spring has been mostly dark and wet. Last year Gold started laying in the last week in January. Storm started laying in the first week in February and Dot started laying in the second week of February.

This morning when I went in to poop pick the chicken shed I was alarmed to see quite a big patch of blood on the back perch and splashes of blood in the shavings underneath the perch. I picked each girl up in turn and checked them. I couldn’t see any blood. I checked bottoms, combs and feet. All the girls looked okay apart from Salmon having a bit of a mucky bottom.

I tried to remember which girl was perched on the back, right hand, corner. It is usually Sugar and Salmon that perch there. I picked Sugar up again and had a closer look. There was nothing to see. I then picked up Salmon for a closer look. I saw a spot of blood on one of her tail feathers so I knew it must be from her. I had a closer look at her mucky bottom. I tried to wipe off the poop with kitchen paper but found a small ball of poop attached to her feathers that had set hard.

I got a bowl of warm water and a wet and dry cloth. I picked her up and soaked the ball of poop until I had softened it enough to free it. I dried her and set her back down.

There was a speck of blood on Salmon’s vent. I wonder if she had had to push hard to poop past the lump and that had caused her to bleed. She looks fine but I will be keeping a close eye on her.

Salmon after her clean up
Salmon looks okay

Salmon is the eldest serama we have had so I know she is the most vulnerable. She hasn’t laid for the last two years so I hope that she won’t ever lay again. I hope this was just a blip but I will be checking her regularly.

Sugar is the other most vulnerable girl as she had problems laying last year. She started laying half way through March. It would be good if she also stopped laying but I don’t suppose that is going to happen.

Sugar has been absolutely fine all winter while not laying. We will just have to wait and see how she gets on when she starts laying this year and hope for the best.

Edit

I went back out to the girls a couple of hours after I had written this post. I checked the nest boxes again and found that Storm had laid.

Storm’s first egg of the year
A lovely little egg

Well done Storm!

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A treat of chopped tomato for the girls

We had a few soft tomatoes so I decided to chop them up and give the girls a treat.

A dish of chopped tomato
I emptied the dish so that they could all get some
I only took three photos as Dot walked away

The tomato didn’t last long. It’s one of the girls’ favourite treats. I love to see them all together around a treat.

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